NEW YORK, March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America, LLC, today announced it has donated $250,000 to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). The donation is a reflection of Valeant's ongoing support and commitment to the wellbeing of women, and is the first of four checks the company will present to NCADV in a one year period for a combined donation goal of $1 million.

"NCADV is thrilled to be working with Valeant as a partner in our efforts to end violence in the home," said Rita Smith, Executive Director of NCADV. "Corporations have the ability to increase the awareness of resources and information about domestic violence to a much larger audience than we can alone, and as a result, together we can make a difference in so many more lives of people who are struggling to get free from the violence."

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women, and 1 in 4 women report experiencing domestic violence in their lifetimes. Because Valeant's most important objective is to serve its stakeholders, the majority of which are women, the decision to support a cause like NCADV's came easily.

"Valeant's partnership with the NCADV provides us a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by domestic violence," said Ryan Weldon, Executive Vice President for Valeant Pharmaceuticals. "We make these efforts on behalf of our employees and the consumers and healthcare professionals that support this cause by using our products. We hope this collaboration will continue to grow and enable the NCADV in its mission to end domestic violence."

Valeant partnered with NCADV in October 2013. To date, the partnership has helped 19,000 women by supporting NCADV in:

Expanding relationships with associations that provide services to victims of violence

About Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products primarily in the areas of neurology, dermatology, eye health and branded generics. More information about Valeant Pharmaceuticals can be found at www.valeant.com.

About National Coalition Against Domestic Violence The survivor-led and survivor-focused National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) has worked for more than thirty-five years to end violence against women by raising awareness and educating the public about the effects of domestic abuse. Our work includes developing and sustaining ground-breaking public policy at the national level aimed at ending violence; assisting the 2,000+ urban and rural shelters and programs at the local, state, and regional levels of the nation in the programming they offer to victims seeking safety and assistance; and offering programming that empowers and supports the long-term health and safety of victims of domestic violence. Currently, our constituency encompasses more than 70,000 programs, survivors, advocates, and allied individuals and is growing daily. Learn more about us at: www.ncadv.org.

Except as otherwise indicated, all product names, slogans and other marks are trademarks of the Valeant family of companies. DM/OBG/13/0002o